


Quiet On Set!

by saloace



Series: Show Time! [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Acting AU, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Crossdressing, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Self-Doubt, Sharing a Bed, Theatre AU, drama club au, gay thoughts and realization of these gay thoughts, teenage angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-06-02 06:51:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6556012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saloace/pseuds/saloace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karasuno's Top Drama Class only showcases the best of the best the school has to offer. Theatre kids never get a break, constantly having to memorize monologues, direct AND write plays, managing the whole technical aspects, dealing with actor's shit, and dealing with the stress of it all. Hinata has quite a lot to deal with himself. Having to fill in for his senpai's role in Sugawara's romantic film, little does he know that he has the duty of playing the role of Kageyama's love interest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lights, Camera, ACTION!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theatre terms  
> floor manager: technical assistant that relays cues and notes from the director to the rest of the cast and crew  
> blocking: basic stage directions

The rays of the setting sun seeped through the blinds of Hinata’s bedroom. Warm amber scattered across the poorly lit room. The sound of chirping cicadas and the cool summer breeze filled the warm, late afternoon.

Hinata sat at the very edge of his bed, clutching onto the ends of his skirt, he nervously played with the loose fabric to distract from the piercing gaze coming from Kageyama. He stood at the center of his room, shaking anxiously, trying hard to stand his ground, until he collapsed his head.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something”

His anxious breathing wavered his speech into a syncopated rhythm, a symphony of nervous breaths and rapid heartbeats filled the space. Hinata was extremely dumbfounded to see his trusted yet asshole of a friend reveal such vulnerability. Kageyama then placed his knee onto the bed and crawled toward Hinata, forcing the petite boy to sprawl back to the other end of the bed and against the wall.

Hinata fixed his gaze upon Kageyama’s navy eyes. The dark blues tinted by soft amber light, the two colors complemented each other perfectly. Even though the sun was setting, the look in his eyes were that of a sunrise. Bright and gentle, it was a sight Hinata had never seen before.

He quickly hid his blushing face, redirecting his sight down to his knees, which were now entwined with Kageyama’s. He gripped tightly onto his skirt once more when suddenly, he felt gentle hands against his long auburn locks. Kageyama carefully combed through the section of hair that draped over Hinata’s sides and pinned it back behind the boy’s right ear. He slowly brought his face in closer, his lips just barely grazing against Hinata’s ear.

 “I love you…always have… since the moment I first set my eyes on you”, Kageyama’s quavering words brushed warmly against Hinata’s cheek.

His skirt was now far beyond wrinkled now, crumpled even more harshly in his fists. This one sided conversation had ran too long, it was time to actually give a response. Hinata directing his gaze back to Kageyama, his navy eyes glittering even more beautifully than when he last glimpsed. He could feel his blood pumping even harder in his cheeks. “I…I…I…” he mumbled.

“You…?” nodded Kageyama, his face closed in on Hinata’s.

 “I…I…I…” Hinata gulped hoarsely and pounded on his knees, “I CAN’T FRICKING DO THIS!!!”

“OKAY, CUT.” Sugawara snarled, his palm cupped around his forehead. “Take 5, guys” he gestured to Tsukishima and Tanaka. The both of them groaned as they lowered down their handheld camcorders.The entire room filled with alternating groans, ‘seriously’s’, and ‘are you kidding me’s’.

“What was our time on that Yamaguchi?”

Yamaguchi checked the stopwatch wrung around his neck, “O-one minute, forty-three seconds!” he uncapped a pen and began to jot down notes on his clipboard.

“Honestly, how many times have we done this take already?” Tsukki grunted.

“Probably like fifty, and we were so close too!” Tanaka sighed, as he slowly melted to the floor.

“Actually we’re at take twenty-one!” confirmed Yamaguchi.

“It was a rhetorical question, Yamaguchi.” Tsukki scoffed.

“Sorry, Tsukki…”

“Give him a break _Tsukki_ "Tanaka nudged him teasingly, “He’s just doing his job as floor manager.”

“Please don’t call me Tsukki…”

“Guys, guys, let’s focus, please!? We only have a couple more hours until the sun completely sets and we _really_ need to work in this lighting!” Suga said trying to maintain his composure, “W-Well, I mean, I’m positive we’ll be able to get this final take done before sun set!” he then turned his attention to Hinata and Kageyama, the two are both still on the bed and both completely beet red, he approached with caution “Okay, guys, so I’ve gotta a few notes to go through with this, so why don’t we try going over-”

“Uggghhhh! We were so close to finishing the take! You DUMBASS, why’d you go and break character like that!?” Kageyama snapped.

“Um guys, why don’t we-”

“How about _you_ try and wear a _girl’s uniform_?!” Hinata retaliated “ _AND_ a dumb wig!” he took off the shoulder length wig, revealing his short orange waves, and threw it across the room (a direct hit to Yamaguchi’s face). “Besides! You were totally being awkward and stiff the whole time! And that crawl towards me! What was that!? That was just…it was so…GRAGHHH! This is supposed to be a light _romance_ not an animal documentary!”

“Can we plea-”

“Y-Y-You…you…Dumbass! You’re the one who agreed to be a part of this film!” Kageyama countered, “You even read the script beforehand! You knew exactly what was coming!”

“Excuuuuse me, but FIRST OF ALL, I didn’t even get the script until today! All I was told was that senpai got sick, and you guys needed a last minute replacement for this scene! As I recall it, I was the only available actor in class that could fill in for the role! How was I supposed to know she played your romantic interest!? You should be grateful that I filled in, not to mention that I’m also letting you guys use MY house!”

“Grateful? Please, why should I be grateful to some idiot who always fucking breaks character!”

“YOU GUYS! PLEASE! STOP! WE GOTTA FOCUS AND WORK ON THIS RIGHT NOW, AND YOU’RE BICKERING ISN’T HELPING!” Suga yelled. The room immediately went dead silent. It’s not every day you get to hear the refreshing Koushi Sugawara raise his voice, especially to his beloved underclassmen, or literally anyone who wasn't Daichi.

“Well now that I’ve got your attention! We’re gonna try some different approaches, okay?” he tenderly grinned, it was amazing how quick and drastic Suga’s mood could shift like that, but of course what else would you expect from the best thespian in drama class?

“Y-Yes, sir…” the two idiots muttered under their breath.

“Good! Now! Since I _guess_ my original blocking was just a bit much let’s try going about this whole thing differently”

“Different…”

“…How?”

Suga cracked a smile and turned a glance to the rest of the crew.

“Hey guys, we’re just gonna have a little private acting session if you don’t mind. You can all take a lunch break right now over in the kitchen, Hinata’s mom said she’d make curry.”

“Woo! Chowtime!” Tanaka slammed the door open.

Yamaguchi jotted down the rest of his notes and collected the camera equipment to the corner of the room. “Oh! Umm…” he then grabbed the wig and handed it back to Hinata, “You’re probably gonna need this”.

“Oh…yeah…sorry about that…”

“This is going take all day isn’t it?”

“We only got a couple more hours, let’s just try to relax, Tsukki.”

“Heuheuheue _yeeeeah Tsukki,_ just chill out for a minute!”

“Shut up”

“ALLLLLLRIGHTY! Let’s get to work!” Suga clasped his hands excitedly “Since Hinata seemed to be a little uncomfortable with the crawl, let’s try to make this a little more subtle. After all, less _is_ more, so Hinata, we’ll just have you against the wall from the start alright?”

“Oh! Uh….yeah. Of course!”

“And, Kageyama, instead of standing at the beginning, I'll have you sit to the right of Hinata, okay?”

The duo complied obediently, trying not to screw up or anger the director any further than they already had.

“So just do your lines and I’ll give you direction along the way alrighty?” the two nodded in perfect synchronicity. He smiled serenely, “GOOD! Okay…and…ACTION!”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something” Kageyama spoke anxiously.

“Take a hold of his hand” Suga directed.

He does.

“I love you…”

“Turn to each other”

Hinata stared deep into Kageyama’s eyes, again tinted softly by the dim rays of the setting sun. He couldn’t believe that someone who literally yelled and completely emasculated him just moments ago could possibly look at him so tenderly like that.  
‘Well…just goes to show that he really _is_ a good actor…’

“Always have…”

“Now take his other hand”

His hands were as warm and tender as his gaze. Those same eyes that would glare at him during class whenever Hinata would fumble over a line or whenever he would be screwing around instead of paying attention during a scene.  
‘He’d never look at me like this if it weren’t called for in some stupid script’

“Since the moment I first set my eyes on you…”

Hinata knew his glare fairly well, but this…this was something he had never seen at such an intimate level. A view that he could never witness by his own accord.  
‘Well, he _was_ supposed to do this with senpai anyway, so it really doesn’t have anything to do with me at all’

“Place your palm against his cheek”

He couldn’t tell if the warmth was radiating from Kageyama’s hand or from his own cheek. Whatever the case, it was quite warm and very comfortable…yet somehow suffocating.  
‘There’s no way he would ever be _this_ gentle with me for his own sake, he’s just another dedicated theatre geek, it’s all a part of the job’  
His focus was not on the script, or Suga’s directions, but rather it was solely on Kageyama. The look in his eyes was truly a view to behold.  
‘Just like the view of the sunrise. A sunrise from the summit of a mountain…ah crap that's my line shit, shit, what's my line!’

“I…I…I…” Hinata’s cheeks were immensely flushed, he delivered his line exactly when and how he was supposed to. His one and only line in the entire scene, had been triumphantly executed without fail.

“Pull him in close”

“You?” Kageyama’s hand pulled Hinata’s face closer to his ever so slowly, his hand grew warmer and could feel what he thought out to be a cold sweat, probably from anticipation, or just the combined warmth of Kageyama’s hand and his own cheek. The beautiful blue eyes were now gone, tucked behind closed eyelids. Hinata flinched and nearly broke character again, but his eyes managed to follow suit, his face slowly drew in closer to Kageyama.  
‘Can’t believe he’s actually going through with this. He’s such a good actor and here I am, the freaking last minute replacement. I’ve only been getting in his way this whole shoot…I don’t-’

“CUT! Woah…uhhhh…Hinata are you okay?” Suga interrupted, “Do you need a break?”

“What? Why would I need a break?” he tilted his head to Suga in confusion, he looked back to find Kageyama glaring at him, but it wasn’t his regular pissy glare, or his tender gaze, but rather a furtive look.  
He’s never seen such a pained expression on Kageyama before. He breaks eye contact, redirecting his focus to his skirt…which was being stained by a trickle of-

“Why are you crying?” worried Kageyama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOOOOOO first official work on here  
> This was literally supposed to be a one shot but I got too invested in this kagehina hell  
> I hope ya'll like it and expect more, because more will come regardless lmao  
> (pls leave a comment i would greatly appreciate it :^))  
> also a lil self promo, you could message me or anything like that @saloace on tumblr!


	2. CUT! Take Five!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyyyy sorry it took like almost over a month to update! i had work and was really busy with finals, so i didn't have much time to edit! :^[  
> but now i'm settled back home and on break so now and will have more time for writing! :^]  
> this project is very much in process and i do plan on finishing it within many more chapters so pls stick around!

“Huh?” Hinata gasped, his vision was blurred, his eyes were wet, and he could feel a coarseness within his throat. He _was_ crying.

“I’m not, I mean I didn’t, I-”, he stumbled, wiping away his tears he desperately tried to verbalize every on of thoughts at once.

“Sorry for loading all this on you with such short notice, we can totally finish this take some other day”, Suga reassured.

“AH! SORRY, I DON’T KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME! I CAN TOTALLY DO THIS, LET’S JUST TRY AGAIN! ONE MORE TAKE! I CAN DO IT!” Hinata’s breath followed a quick rhythm. He couldn’t stomach having the rest of the guys having to work around him AGAIN for this take.

“Y’know, we don’t have to keep the kiss in. I think the scene works just as good without it” Suga gently ruffled Hinata’s hair.

Hinata stared deeply into Suga’s sincere eyes. 

“Okay…” he murmured, he was extremely disheartened, having his director be so considerate of him over such a stupid mistake made him feel pathetic, but he’d definitely would rather feel this shitty than to have Suga make up entirely new blocking just to accommodate for him again.

“Just relax. I know it’s a lot, getting the script last minute and having to perform in full costume. Doing all of that for is really doing us a huge favor… _Riiight,_ Kageyama?” Suga grinned, staring directly into Kageyama’s soul. Kageyama nodded obediently. Suga snickered and proceeded to the door.

“Well, I’m gonna join the rest of the guys for now, you guys can come down for snacks whenever, okay?”

As soon as the door closed, tension and silence filled the room. The two boys exchanged a few awkward glances at each other, immediately shooting their face away whenever they made eye contact.

“I’m sorry.” Kageyama spoke behind his breath

“What?”

“I’M SORRY THAT I YELLED AT YOU!” he yelled and immediately covered his mouth, flustered by the irony of his apology, “and…for yelling at you now…”

Hinata chuckled as he plopped back onto the bed staring at the ceiling, his hands cradled his neck, his legs bent at a standing position.

“What’s with that apology you always yell at me anyway.”

“OH MY GOD. CLOSE YOUR LEGS, DAMMIT! YOU’RE WEARING A SKIRT YOU KNOW!” Kageyama’s face flushed into an even deeper red.

“My point proven.”

“Shut up!”

“And yet again.”

“UGH!! JUST CLOSE YOUR LEGS!”

“This is _my_ room, you can’t tell me what to do” he giggled and playfull kicked Kageyama’s side, “Besides, it’s not like you’ve never seen me indecent before”.

Hinata smirked condescendingly, the two of them and the whole lot of the Theatre Department shared an entire changing station. Everyone had gotten to see more than just each other’s acting for every show and dress rehearsal.

Kageyama let out a defeated grunt as he placed his hands over his eyes and fell back onto the bed. He inhaled deeply.

“Just accept the damn apology, please?”

“You don’t need to give a flippin’ apology, okay? It’s got nothin’ to do with you.”

‘Stupid, Kageyama. Seriously, how stupid can he be? I’m the one that just has to sit there! I don’t even have as many lines as he does. I hardly have any lines at all, and I’m still messing everything up! I don’t get why Suga would be so desperate to seek me out. I’m sure any other person in class could do ten times better than me. I haven’t changed at all. I’m just a waste of time’

“I’m just not good enough.” Hinata whispered.

“What the hell did you say?” he jolted back up, twisting himself to a seated position.

“N-n-nothing! It was nothing! I was just thinking out loud!” his eyes widened, his shoulders perked up, in fact his entire body grew stiff. 

 “Did you just say that I’m not good enough?” Kageyama inferred.

“Wha-NO!”

“You said ‘not good enough’”, he scooted in closer to Hinata’s side of the bed.

“Well yeah, no – I mean – I didn’t mean – I wasn’t talking about you!”

“Then what are you talking about?!”

 “Look, it’s really not –”

 “That doesn’t answer my question.” Kageyama spoke softly with a hint of vigor. He gripped tightly onto Hinata’s wrists and pinned him down.

“That hurts!” Hinata grunted, “Let me go!”

Kageyama stared intently into Hinata’s tear-laced eyes, his fists pressed firmly against the bed with Hinata’s face placed in the space between. Hinata averted his gaze again, he clenched his teeth and pushed his hands against Kageyama’s chest as he tried to sit himself up. His wrists were clenched tightly in Kageyama’s hands.

“Tell me what’s wrong!”

Kageyama’s grip was tight, it felt like all blood circulation was being cut off from Hinata, so much so that he couldn’t maintain a steady breathing pattern. His chest began to tighten, he became misty-eyed as more tears began to form.

“I said that _I_ wasn’t good enough! You were right, okay?” Hinata screamed, his eyes shut tight letting all the tears he had held flooded down his face, “I’m just a f-fuck up!” his breath was unsteady, his throat coarse, it hurt to breath, it hurt to speak, but he couldn’t let out a sound without screaming, “I just keep fucking up! Even though I agreed to be a part of this I still fucked up! I can never keep up with you! There's no reason for us to be working together, when I'm just the replacement! I wasted your time. I wasted Suga’s time. I wasted everyone’s time! All because I can’t fucking kiss you!”

Hinata huffed in quick uncontrollable breaths, his eyebrows furled ferociously, and despite his hazy vision, Kageyama’s gaze pierced cleanly into his sight. Why the hell did he look so pained, his grimace was just like usual, but something was off. His eyes, there was some other underlying intensity to them, but what was it?  
‘Pity? Worry? Dissappointment? Why the hell is he looking at me like that?’

Suddenly Hinata’s wrists weren’t in pain anymore, what was once a merciless grip turned into a gentle grasp. The pain was gone. Only a sore beating pulse remained, a beating that was as fast as the one in his chest. His eyes were then forced shut. Kageyama’s fingers tenderly grazed his eyelids, wiping away his tears. Hinata stared straight back to Kageyama, completely dumbfounded.

“What the hell are you doi-ummmmph?” the hand that was just gently tracing over his eyes was now pressed firmly against his cheeks, forcing his lips to push out.

“Just shut up for a minute!” his voice was stern, it was his director voice, the one he would always use whenever his cast was messing around during a rehearsal, or literally whenever he scolded Hinata for his incompetence. There was no doubt he was about to perform a good beating on him.

Hinata felt something press against his lips, it wasn’t the painful beating he anticipated. What the hell was going on? He slowly opened his eyes, and saw a sight he never imagined seeing in his life.

Kageyama’s face was pressed against his. Their lips pressed softly against one another, each other’s warm breaths gliding across one another’s face. Kageyama’s disposition was so calm, his eyelids elegantly closed.

“Hey, guys!” Tanaka came bursting into the room, “Suga wanted ya’ll to know that we’ll end filming for today and continue next…rehearsal.” he stood in the doorway, completely still, an awkward grin creeped onto his face.

Kageyama and Hinata stayed in their position completely blank faced. After taking a whole minute to access the complexity of the situation Hinata shoved Kageyama off of him and sat stiffly in the corner of his bed.

“I can explain.” exclaimed Kageyama.

“Uhuh…” Tanaka raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

“NO, LISTEN!”, Kageyama stumbled off the bed and crashed face first into the floor, recklessly he brought himself to his hands in knees. “We were just…

“Uhuh…?”

The room grew silent for what felt like an hour. Until the sound of Suga’s voice came echoing from down the hall, “What’s the hold up, Tanaka?” he then appeared at the entryway, “Did you tell them already that they can–OH MY GOD, KAGEYAMA!” he yelped, “You’re bleeding!”

“What?” Kageyama wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and stared deeply into the dark crimson that was smeared across it. He paused, “No, I’m not.”

Suga broke out into worried gasps, panting anxiously as he brought Kageyama to his feet and directed him out the room, “Tanaka, come with me! Yamaguchi!!!! We need the first aid kit!”

“TSUUUUUKKI HOLY FUCK! YOU GOTTA HEAR ABOUT THIS!” Tanaka hollered eagerly, storming out of the room in a sprint.

“LANGUAGE!” Suga scolded.

Hinata stayed closed off right in the corner of the bed, his cheeks burned brightly. He just sat there for a few minutes allowing his mind to process the entirety of what had just happened.

“Shoyou, sweetie!” his mother peeked into the doorway, “Is everything alright with you boys? I heard all this noi–  AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!” she squealed, a huge smile broke right across her face, “You look so adorable! Oh my goodness! Where’d you even get that uniform! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Don’t move, I’ll be right back with the camera!” she squealed even louder and sashayed out the room, “Natsuuu!!! Come and take a look at your big brother!!” she singsonged.

Hinata fell straight onto his side, slowly forming a fetal position, covering his flushed out face.

‘I’m ready to die. I’m dead. I’m _dead_. Goodbye, world, I’ve ascended.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd love to hear your thoughts! so pls comments are very encouraged!  
> and again my tumblr is saloace and i'm open to messages and asks if you'd like to send some my way!


	3. Break A Leg!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theatre terms:  
> house - the space in the auditorium where the audience are seated  
> wings- the sides of the stage that lead to the backstage space  
> booth - a room (typically floors above the theater space) where the light board and sound board and other special effect instruments are located and operated  
> costume shop - a space in which costumes,shoes, wigs, etc. are stored  
> improv - improvised theatrical performance

 

 _"I'm alive, I'm alive, I am so alive,_  
_If you climb on my back, Then we both can fly._  
_If you try to deny me I'll never die_  
_I'm alive... So alive..."_

* * *

 

Hinata’s favorite class was always drama, he especially liked how the class took place inside the auditorium. It was the perfect getaway from his absolute hatred of classrooms with their stupid desks and stupid fluorescent lighting. The auditorium, however, was so spacious; the ceiling ran high and he could run around all across the stage. The best part of the whole class and his personal favorite thing about drama was that he was _encouraged_ to be as loud as he wanted. He loved that class so much that he wished it’d never end…that is of course until today.

The entire class period was spent doing “evaluations” on everyone’s respective part in their films, despite that assignment, it was a free “ _rehearsal day_ ”. Hinata, sat in the front row, not yet done with his evaluation, sitting right next to Kageyama. They always sat in the front row together, and of course they were contractually obligated to do so continuously due to the holy arbitrary law of assigned seating. Kageyama stayed silent in his seat as he jotted swiftly away into his journal. Hinata didn’t know what to write down for his evaluation, there wasn’t a lot from his rehearsal that he wanted to reevaluate.

Kageyama slammed his journal shut and walked off. He marched right onto the stage and disappeared into the wings. Hinata was extremely offended, but also very relieved, he didn’t want to go through an awkward conversation with him. As soon as Kageyama left, someone else approached Hinata. It was Nishinoya, he was much shorter than Hinata, but his personality and confidence stood taller than anyone else in the auditorium.

“Yo! Me and a few other guys are gonna do some improv games on stage if you wanna join!” he hollered.

Hinata was about to accept, but his attention was caught by Kageyama. He was setting up chairs on the stage, most definitely for the improv showdown.

“Uhh, actually I’ll pass for now, besides I suck at improv.” He flinched

“That’s because you never join in! Come on!” Nishinoya reassured him with a strong pat on the back. For someone that small, he sure had a lot of strength.

“Sorry, I’ll do it next time for sure!” Hinata whimpered. He got out of his seat and dashed up the aisle and into the lobby. He turned into the corner of the lobby where the bathrooms were and entered an unmarked door. There on the other side of the door was a staircase that led to the booth. He tiptoed up the stairs, hoping no one would be there already. Typically, only the offstage techies and the Stage Production class were allowed up there, but it was the only place in the whole theater where he could hide without bumping into anyone. He made it to the last step and was now in the long hall that was the booth. There was a long plexiglass window with the view of the entire house and stage. Under the window was a long burly desk that held the light board and sound board, they were labeled with sticky notes that read ‘If you don’t know how to operate it. DON’T TOUCH IT!’ He avoided going anywhere near the technical instruments in fear that someone would come in and get the wrong idea, so he had crawled underneath the far corner of the desk that was piled with dusty technical manuals that no one ever bothered to use. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone and opened a new blank message:

 _Hinata: hey yachi,, r u busy?? (⊙_ _＿_ _⊙)_

_Yachi: Hinata, I Am In Class RN!_

_Hinata: srry,, i’m just bored and got nothing to do,, :^/ (omg schools almost over anyways)_

_Yachi: BORED???? What are you talking about? Aren’t you in drama class rn?_

_Hinata: yeh but i mean its kinda weird rn so im like in the booth hiding under a desk lol_

_Yachi: ????_

_Hinata: yeah like i said Weird ( ´__ _ゝ_ _`)  
ANYWAYS,, i got ur uniform u lent me the other day lmao you should come by afterschool and pick it up_

_Yachi: Auditorium?_

_Hinata: yesssssss (*˘3˘*)_

_Yachi: Okay, I’ll talk later, the teacher is starting to give me a look…_

_Hinata: SRRY! (*´ >д<) ttyl!_

Hinata closed his phone shut, he inhaled deeply and let out a big sigh.

Tanaka’s head  peaked upside down from atop the desk. “Who you textin’?” he singsonged.

Hinata jumped in shock and hit his head hard on the desk, letting out a painful yelp. He rubbed his head, as Tanaka let out his legendary ugly scream-cackle.

“OH MY GOD. Holy shit! Tsukki, you were right! He didn’t notice at all!”

“Tsu-?” Hinata turned around and saw Tsukishima sitting right next to him and he let out yet another scream.

“Must have been one good conversation you were having.” Tsukishima hummed.

“So, I’ll ask again.” Tanaka dismounted from the desk and sat himself in front of Hinata, “WHO YOU TEXTIN'?” he singsonged yet again, even more flirtatiously than the first time.

“He’s probably talking to his new boyfriend” Tsukishima taunted.

“Ooooooo, how adorable!”

“Uggghh! He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Why are you texting him when he’s on stage?” Tsukishima peaked his face close to Hinata.

“I wasn’t texting _him_.”

“Trying to keep things on the D-L?” Tanaka pulled Hinata’s cheek.

“Ew, never say that ever again.” Tsukishima grimaced, he then turned his attention back to Hinata “Anyway, why are _you_ up _here_?

“I was just about to leave!” Hinata turned his cheek away with a pout.

“C’mon, we’re only teasing, don’t be so dramatic.” Tanaka gave Hinata a light punch on the shoulder.

“Can you blame him though? He _is_ an actor after all.” Tsukki jeered.

Hinata had just about enough, he knew they were just joking and playing around, but he didn’t know what to make of what happened the other day, so joking about it didn’t help him. However, they kept on teasing until the final bell rang, giving Hinata the perfect excuse to march out the booth and downstairs back to the lobby.

“Awww! Look what you did!” Tanaka flicked a finger onto Tsukishima’s forehead. Tsukishima retaliated with a punch in the gut. “NOT FAIR!” he cried.

Hinata stood in the lobby by the rusty beaten up drinking fountain. He sunk against the wall and began to sing a song under his breath to kill time. The song was from a musical he recently got into, he had listened to the whole soundtrack at least twenty times the past week. The melody complemented his range perfectly and was so upbeat and energetic, he felt like the song was composed just for him. As much as he loved that song, he loved the acoustics in the lobby just as much, if not even more. For whatever reason, Hinata always took a liking to echoey spaces. He liked how his voice would float throughout the room, gracefully bouncing off the walls. How his belts and falsetto carried through the lobby so boldly, and yet would fade away ever so soft and gently.

In through the front door entered Yachi, a petite blonde girl, just about the same size as Hinata. She stood almost star-struck from the last note Hinata just sang, her entire body grew stiff as a board, from all the soundwaves coming from every direction and bouncing off of her.

“Oh…uhh…wow...that was really good!” she spoke timidly, “I knew you did musical theatre, but I didn’t think you’d be that good. Not saying that I expected you to be bad!! I just never heard you sang before, so it was kind of surprising!”

“Thanks!” Hinata chuckled, “It’s such a pretty song out of context, but it’s actually pretty depressing if you knew the story behind the musical.”

“Oh! Which one is it? Maybe I’ve heard of it” she implored.

“I’ll message you a link to it later.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a plastic bag. He extended his arm out to Yachi, “Here’s your uniform, freshly washed and everything…though it is a bit torn in the back…”

“Don’t worry about it! It’s from my middle school years, so I never really wear it anyway.” She grabbed the bag and neatly placed it in her backpack, “To be honest, I was really surprised you needed to borrow something like this from me. Doesn’t the theatre department have a lot of costumes to use?”

“Well, we’ve got a few random things here and there, but for whatever reason we don’t even have a single girl’s uniform.” he sighed, “It’s really dumb in all honesty, how our costume shop has stuff like Victorian dresses, dragon suits, _police_ uniforms, but noooooo, why would we ever need something so basic like a school uniform? Y’know I spent a good two hours looking for one the other day? There was literally nothing I could work with. That’s why I called you” he snickered, “Sorry for putting you on the spot like that, you were the only girl I knew that was nearly the same size as me. You really did save my butt there.”

“I don’t mind really! You know, you can keep the uniform! I mean like a donation, you know? I know for sure it’ll be of more use here than it would collecting dust in my closet.”

“Oh, but the tear!” Hinata interjected.

“Ah, right! I promise I’ll stitch it up as soon as I get home. Then I’ll bring it back to you by tomorrow!”

“Really! Wow! Thanks so much!” his eyes practically beamed out of his face, “Well, I mean it’s not like I’m gonna wear this ever again, but – ”

“Uhhh yes you will.”

Hinata gasped loudly and brought himself to his feet.

There stood Tanaka, showing up out of nowhere… _again_. He was (yet again) accompanied by Tsukishima, who was standing behind Tanaka, with a hand on his hip and a huge smirk glued to his face.

“STOP SNEAKING UP ON ME LIKE THAT!” Hinata yelped.

“We still have one more filming day you know, I told you that last rehearsal remember?”

Tsukishima leaned against Tanaka, nudging his elbow into Tanaka’s side, “Cut him some slack, I mean he was a little _busy_ when you told him, remember?”

“AHA!” Tanaka cackled, “Oh!And who’s this?” Tanaka peaked over Hinata’s head, “Are you two timing on your boyfriend already?” he slung his left arm on Hinata’s shoulder and with his right hand he playfully grinded his knuckles into Hinata’s head.

“This is Yachi, my _friend_.” Hinata groaned, “ _She_ is the one I was texting.”

“Oh, my son! I didn’t raise you to be such a flirt.” He immediately ran into Tsukishima’s chest, fake sobbing with pure melodrama, “Oh, Tsukki! He must’ve gotten it from _you_! This is all your fault! Damn you and your seductive nature!”

A huge grimace stretched all across Tsukishima’s face, he sighed loudly and grabbed firmly onto Tanaka’s shoulders.

“Save it for the stage!” he pushed Tanaka right off his feet and into the ground, “I’m not going to play along with you and your sick roleplay.”

“ _Sick_ roleplay, huh bro?” Tanaka winked.

Tsukishima’s eyebrows furled deeply into his crinkled nose, his grimace grew even more intense. He pinched Tanaka’s ear and brought him up to his feet.

“Stop fooling around. We have club right now.” The sound of Tsukishima’s stomps and Tanaka’s groaning laughter echoed throughout the room as they walked out the doors leading to the house.

“Uhh…so…boyfriend?” Yachi inquired.

“I don’t have a boyfriend! God, they’re so embarrassing!” Hinata collapsed back onto the floor, hugging his knees tightly into chest. “Well, I guess I should be shovin’ off. Club’s gonna start in a few minutes. Y’know…you should totally join today’s club meeting.”

“WHAT? N-no, I’d totally be in the way, and I’ve never had a drama class, plus I’m totally clumsy and well I don’t really know a lot about theatre and stuff and I just couldn’t.” She rambled.

“You don’t need to know a lot, new members come in all the time and we mostly mess around and play games anyways. Besides, you’re not in any clubs right now are you?”

“Well…no…”

“Then you should at least sit in for a meeting or two!”

“Well I don’t know.”

“Please! Just for this meeting! You’ll fit right in! I promise!”

“Okay, but just this once! But you owe me, a lot by the way!”

The door leading to the house opened, and there was Yamaguchi, he looked as if he was searching for something he lost. He then noticed Hinata and ran straight to him.

“Hinata! There you are! Club’s gonna start any minute now. Let’s…” he grabbed Hinata by the wrist and was about to drag him out until he noticed Yachi “OH! Uh…umm…hi! You’re…ummm…I mean are you…? Ummm… What I mean is will you be…?”

“She’s gonna be joining us for club, yes.”

“Yeah! Umm…hi! I’m Yamaguchi, I’m the Club Secretary! Speaking of which, since you’re a new member you’re gonna have to sign in with your name and ID…so uhh follow me I guess.” The two of them exit into the house. Hinata then followed suit and pranced through the door but was met with a Kageyama waiting right on the other side.

“Took you long enough.” He snarled.

“You were waiting for me?”

“We’re the freshman representatives, for club. So duh, of course I’d be waiting, idiot.”

“Oh, right…”

The house was filled with people running up and down the aisles and seats, yelling, singing, creating the average pre-show cacophony. Hinata silently walked down the aisle with Kageyama to their seats at the front row.

“So, uh, do you know what we’re gonna be doing today?” Kageyama cooed.

“Ummm, no.” Hinata responded.

‘This is so awkward, but at least he isn’t trying to avoid me or anything…not like…I was…doing to him…ah crud, I’m such a douche.’

There next to Hinata’s seat already was Yamaguchi and Yachi with clipboards, going through the club application process. In the row behind them were Tsukishima and Tanaka chatting away as they calmly waited for club to start. Hinata and Kageyama walked over and settled into their seats.

“You got Yachi to join drama club?” Kageyama asked.

“Yeah, well I mean for now anyway. She’s pretty talented and can totally be useful to us don’t you think?”

“Absolutely.” Kageyama agreed

On stage confidently stood Sugawara, he was accompanied by a bulky guy with short black hair. He was much taller than he was. They both looked into the crowd and exchanged glances. They both nodded at one another and yelled,  
“POWER CLAP! ONE, TWO, THREE!” immediately after, most of everyone in the house all at once performed a singular synchronized clap and nothing else could be heard afterwards except the striking echo that it left behind.

“Is that a drama thing?” Yachi leaned to Hinata.

“I’m honestly not entirely sure, but we do it all the time in club.” Hinata quietly responded.

“Alrighty! Now that I have your attention! I’d like to start out with some introductions since I see we have a few new faces. Welcome to drama club! I’m Koushi Sugawara, Club President. Here with me we have…”

“Hi, I’m Daichi Sawamura, and I’m the club’s Vice President. Welcome to drama club!” Daichi’s voice boomed through the entire space with seemingly no effort. After all he is very renowned in class for being the one to yell at everyone about ‘diction and projection’. “Today’s club will be a little bit different. We’ll be doing two separate workshops today. One of which will be led by Suga and myself, and the other by our Junior Club Representative, Nisinoya, so if you may please split into groups of two. After you’ve found your partner we’ll announce what your workshop choices are. You have five minutes, GO!”

Club members scattered all across everywhere desperately looking for a partner. Tanaka immediately embraced Tsukishima telling him he’s got no other choice. Tsukishima of course complied, but didn’t appear to be too thrilled about it.

“You…umm…well” Yamaguchi stumbled as he turned to Yachi, not exactly maintaining eye contact, “Would you, maybe like to possibly want to ummm…” his hands were shaking, his neck damp from a subtle break of sweat. He took in a deep breath, grabbed his knees and adjusted his posture, “You want to be partners?”

“Well – ” Yachi began.

“I mean you don’t have to you know! It’s just everyone seems to already have a partner and well you’re new to this, and I’m kinda experienced. Not to boast or anything! I just…you know…as secretary…I umm…”

Yachi chuckled and broke into a snort, causing her to gasp in embarrassment, but she broke back into another laugh anyway. She gave him a reassuring smile and a firm pat on the back.  
“Yeah, sure! Let’s be partners.”

“Is everyone partnered?” Daichi projected.

Hinata looked around the space seeing everyone already coupled. He had spent his time eavesdropping on Yachi and Yamaguchi, waiting for Yachi just in case if  she had rejected him. He turned around and saw that Kageyama was still seated next to him.

 “So…partners?” Hinata asked.

“Obviously.” Kageyama retorted.

“Alrighty!” Sugawara exclaimed, “Since we all look partnered up let’s begin. Your first workshop option is Improv & Stage Combat, which will be held in the lobby and be led by Junior Representative, Nishinoya. As for the other workshop, it will be led by Daichi and myself here on the stage. We’ll be working on Improv & Stage Kissing."

Hinata’s heart sunk straight into his stomach and crawled back past his chest and into his throat. He turned to Kageyama and cracked a nervous laugh. Kageyama laughed back twice as nervous and sunk into his seat.

Oo’s, ah’s, whistling, and muffled conversations filled the room. Tanaka grinned at Tsukishima and nodded to Kageyama and Hinata’s direction. Tsukishima broke out into a loud powerful laugh. Tanaka placed a hand on each of the two’s head and ruffled their hair.

“Have fun, lovebirds!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brief chapter synopsis:  
> -hinata does/loves musical theatre and wore yachi's middle school uniform lmao how tiny are you child?  
> -president suga and first lady daichi  
> -tanaka + tsukki = bff's  
> -yamaguchi is a hopeless mess lmao bless him  
> -yachi what have you gotten yourself into lmao  
> -punch each other OR kiss each other TEXT ur vote now
> 
> the song hinata was singing (as well as from the beginning) is 'I'm Alive' from Next To Normal it is sooo good  
> i implore you to watch the whole musical, i warn you tho it is very sad and touching :^(  
> (tw: suicidal behavior, self-harm, drug use, child death)
> 
> WOOO HOORAY FOR UPDATE! I AM ABSOLUTELY LOVING WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS AND I HOPE THAT YOU ARE TOO! SO PLS COMMENT AND STUFF! I'D HARDCORE APPRECIATE IT!


	4. Breaking the Fourth Wall!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theatre terms:  
> apron: the part of the stage in a theater that is in front of the curtain line  
> upstage: away from the audience

This was it. The ultimate decision. The worst pair of options Hinata has ever been faced with.  He could duke it out with Kageyama fist-to-fist, or he could do it face-to-face. Both of these options were equally frustrating and difficult to choose between. Regardless of what he picked, Hinata realized that there was one underlying factor that made both these options just as bad as the other. He had to do improv. As much as he loved the idea of improv being based around virtually no rules, he had absolutely no confidence with his performance in it.

‘I should’ve taken up Noya’s offer earlier when I had the chance. Ugh, I’m so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!’

“We’ll give you five more minutes to discuss with your partners on which workshop you want to do! So make it quick!” Daichi exclaimed.

Things were awkward enough just because of one kiss already, so doing stage combat would definitely be the better choice. He was hesitant to ask Kageyama, or even say anything to him at all. Kageyama hadn’t even said a word to Hinata during their time for discussion. He just sat there in his seat, completely hunchbacked with his chin to his chest. There wasn’t enough time, they had to have the discussion  _now_ , before they get forced into a workshop.

“Soo…uh-yeah…which one do you want to do?” Hinata asked reluctantly.

Kageyama turned his eyes to Hinata. Taking in a deep breath, he let his head back into the headrest of his seat and let out a short breath. His head turned to Hinata, but he immediately turned away among making eye contact.

“Okay…bear with me here, okay?” Kageyama sprung back up with a straight back. He planted his feet firm to the floor, his fists glued to his lap. “Don’t look too deeply into my decision. Just hear me out, okay?” he pleaded. “Okay…well…I…ummm…It’s just. Well. Listen up, okay?”

Hinata didn’t give a response. He just sat there. Waiting. His patience slowly fleeting. Kageyama just kept tiptoeing around his response for a good minute. ‘Listen to what I have to say’, Kageyama kept repeating. And Hinatat was. Boy was he listening. He was listening to the same thing over and over again.  
“STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH AND GET TO THE POINT. MY GOODNESS.” Hinata berated. Kageyama didn’t even give any snide remarks or wise cracks. It felt nice to yell at Kageyama and not receive any whiplash from it. He just sat in his seat. Chin sinking low into his chest, his whole body melted. He cupped his hands to his face and let in a deep breath.

“I w..n…d…th…ng...wr…op.” He murmured in his hands.

“What?”

Kageyama peaked through his hand looking straight at Hinata.  
“I…Wt…Oo…Uh…NG…One.” His speech more muffled than before.

“PRO-JECT, dammit!”

Kageyama lifted his face away from his hands and scooched in close. He stared deeply into his eyes and spoke between his gritted teeth.

“I. Want. To. Do. The. Kissing. One.” He retreated back to his airbrushed, pink palms.

Noise engulfed the theater, every sound had gone silent in Hinata’s ears. All of his senses had disappeared. All he could hear was Kageyama’s words replaying over and over in his head. All he could feel was a furious pound accumulating in his chest. All he could see was Kageyama.

“Just hear me out!” Kageyama begged, “Just think about it! I mean we’ve already been under Suga’s direction, so there’s that! And well I literally  _just did_  improv with Noya and well…he’s not bad but his methods are just too fast pace and he’s kinda demanding. Suga is just better at directing, y’know?”

_Silence._

“Ugh, just forget it.”

Hinata was intrigued to see Kageyama go from being a cold stoic person only moments ago to this nervous wreck of vulnerability. It was shocking, but in a way it was a huge weight off his shoulders. Never had he seen this much dimension in Kageyama’s personality. When did this shy, flustered, boy appear before him? Shocked, yet relieved. Nervous, but comfortable. A plethora of conflicting emotions flooded Hinata’s being.  

“What’s up with that? Since when were you one to shy away from things?” He gave Kageyama a reassuring pat on the back. It really was such a huge relief. He had assumed that Kageyama didn’t even want to talk to him anymore. Yes, it was still awkward, but he felt it was better to talk out the awkward rather than avoiding it. “Besides…” he stammered under his breath, “It’s not like you shied away kissing me last time…”

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing! It was nothing!” Hinata insisted.

“And you tell  _me_  to project.” Kageyama scoffed.

“Okay, guys! Time’s up!” Sugawara shouted. “Any of you doing the activity with me and Daichi, please come to the stage. The rest of you follow Nishinoya to the lobby!”

Tanaka peaked over between Hinata and Yachi. “So Tsukki over here insisted that we’re gonna do stage combat,” he complained, “But at least that means we’re all going to the lobby together, right?”

“Uhhh…yeah…?” Yachi stumbled. Her face was forced into an awkward smile. She tilted her head, giving Tanaka a very uncomfortable, confused, look.

“Oh, shit!” He spat, “That’s right! I never introduced myself. How rude of me. Anyway, well I’m Ryuunosuke Tanaka.” He turned to Tsukishima and wrapped an arm around his head. “And this seamy individual accompanying me is Tsukki!”

“It’s Tsukishima.” He corrected.

“Call him Tsukki, it’s cuter.” He whispered to Yachi as he yanked on Tsukishima’s ear, “Besides he’s a total push over, so it’s okay.”

“I hate you.” Tsukishima sneered.

“I know you love me.” Tanaka tugged on Tsukishima’s cheek.

 “So are we going to the lobby or not?” Tsukishima huffed.

“Yeah, I guess we should get going.” Yamaguchi got out of his seat and gestured to Yachi to follow. Tanaka grabbed onto Tsukishima and trailed behind. “Kageyama, Hinata, you guys coming?”

“Uh, no…we’re staying here…” Hinata admitted. He looked to the floor, scratching the back of his head.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, they all gave each other nonplussed looks. Tsukishima and Tanaka exchanged suggestive glances and broke into a snort and snicker.

“Seriously, let’s go.” Tsukishima deadpanned.

Kageyama sank even deeper into his seat and Hinata just looked back at him and gave a shrug and a broken smile.

“Oh my god you’re serious…” Tsukishima murmured. He instantaneously broke out into a boisterous laugh. He hunched over embracing his stomach. “Ho-Holy! My god! I can’t! I’m so! Help me!” he fell to his knees. Grasping firmly onto Tanaka’s arm, he dragged himself back to his feet, but fell right back down to the floor. “Holy crap, Ryuu, he’s  _serious_. Goddammit.” He choked on his laughter and could hardly keep his breath steady. Tanaka helped him to his feet, allowing him to grab onto his shoulders to maintain balance. “Let’s go. Let’s just go, right now!” he pushed the group out, leading them up the aisle.

“Uhh, we’ll see you guys later I guess!” Tanaka hollered over his shoulder. A light shade of red crept on his face. Tsukishima shoved him and the rest of the group out of sight with hysterical finesse.

Hinata hunched over deeply into his chest, he was blushing from ear to ear. In the corner of his eye he could see Kageyama’s head turned away. Out of nowhere Kageyama grabbed onto Hinata’s hand and rushed him to his feet.

“C’mon. We can’t keep Suga and Daichi waiting.”

Hinata’s hand heated up in Kageyama’s. He could feel his hand begin to sweat. His feet were weak and shaky. He tripped over his own pace, but kept on moving forward from Kageyama’s steadfast grip. His heart fluttered rapidly in his chest. It was this feeling again; he couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything. All that he could process was Kageyama. The feeling of his warm embrace. The way his calves flexed from his stiff strides. His slick, straight, thin raven hair. The trickle of sweat running down his nape. Those toned biceps. The only thing he couldn’t see, but desperately wanted to, was Kageyama’s face.

‘Wait, what? What the hell is happening? Why am I like this? It’s just Kageyama. This is my best friend. It’s just the same guy that yells at me when I forget a line, or whenever I don’t write down notes in my script. The same guy that gets pissed when I call him out on the same things he does to me. The same old dork that is so gung-ho about character and motivation. This is the guy who jumps into things head on with upmost confidence. This is the same guy that…that kissed me.

A huge group of people were spread throughout the space. In the center of the stage were two chairs and a square table with paper fans on top.

“Okay, everyone! Line up across the apron, take a seat, make yourselves comfortable!” Daichi fanned out his arms as he and Sugawara made their way to center stage. “Okay, let’s just jump right into it. Let’s start with improv!”

“Now with improv there are three things that you must establish in your scene. Setting, action, and relationship. Where are you? What are you doing? What’s the relationship between you and your partner? But with this workshop you’re gonna have to also incorporate a kiss as well.” Sugawara explained.

“As far as that goes, you’re allowed these different approaches.” Daichi grabbed a paper fan from the table and snapped it open with flourish, “You can use one of these fans here. With these you can cover your face your partner’s to create the illusion of you two actually kissing.”

“The other method is a bit more intimate. What you’re going to do is cup the side of your partner’s face with your upstage hand.” Sugawara gently caressed Daichi’s cheek. He maintained focus to the group of club members. “And then pull them in he pulled in Daichi’s face only centimeters apart from his, “But you’re gonna cover up your partner’s mouth with your thumbs, so you don’t  _actually_  kiss.” He raised an eyebrow and sneaked a glance to Hinata’s direction. “But if you and your partner are brave and willing enough, then you’re more than allowed to go for the real thing.”

“Now when you’re doing your scenes there is one golden rule that you have to follow.”

“ALWAYS say yes, and NEVER say no.”

“If Daichi and I are doing a scene and I go: So Daichi, how’s your rash? And he says,”

“I don’t have a rash!” Daichi deadpanned.

“Then you just killed the scene. You shot down your partner and now you’ve got to start all over. I don’t care how ridiculous it gets, you ALWAYS say yes.”

 “With that said, the whole club is going to rejoin in about ten to fifteen minutes. So during that time I suggest you all discuss your given circumstances for your scenes.”  Daichi forewarned.

“Also, do NOT rehearse your actual scene, and do NOT plan in advance. Improv is about being spontaneous and living in the moment. Just make sure you have your given circumstances, and go from there.” Sugawara shouted, “Your time starts now!”

Yet again the auditorium was a huge mess of noise. The whole stage peppered with club members clawing at their brains brainstorming. Hinata and Kageyama found it appropriate to get themselves back to their front row seats. Hinata plopped himself to his seat. “Okay. So…given circumstances…so where should we be?”

“I don’t know.”

“C’mon, just pick a place. It doesn’t matter.” Hinata pestered.

“I don’t know…we’re outside a store at 9:08pm.”

“That’s…oddly specific.”

“Well. You said it didn’t matter!”

“Okay…what are we doing at the store at  _nine-o-eight-pm?_ ” Hinata mocked.

“Don’t sass me.”

“I’m being oh-so serious here, Tobio.” Hinata responded, “What are we doing at the store. At nine-o-eight pm?”

“Why don’t you decide?”

“Fine. We’re buying a USB.”

“That’s oddly specific.” Kageyama mimicked.

“Fine whatever. We’ll be friends at the store, nine-o-etcetera.”

“Well that covers just about everything.”

“Yeah…Just about…”

It was awkward. Yet again, Hinata found himself too aware of Kageyama. He wanted to leave and avoid him again, but it was too late for that. All he could do now was wait. Throughout their waiting, they’d both sneak in glances at one another, making awkward eye contact every time. Hinata fiddled with his thumbs. He clacked his heels. He even did some sitting yoga. Anything to distract from the tension between him and Kageyama.

After several minutes, footsteps and chattering snuck in from the back of the auditorium. It was the rest of the club. All of them came in laughing with a strut of confidence. Nishinoya entered in with a bound. He was dragging along an enormous burly guy. He was even burlier than Daichi, and with much more hair. His auburn locks were tied back neatly into a bun. He looked like he could pass for someone in their twenties, but his demeanor most certainly screamed awkward teenager. Nishinoya dragged the large man with gusto.

“Shoyou!” he called out, “I see you bailed out on my workshop…as well Tobio here.” He gave a cheeky grin and sat himself behind the two numbskulls. “Anyways, you probably already noticed this guy over here, go ahead, introduce yourself!”

“Hi…my name’s Asahi. I’m new to drama club.” His voice was unexpectedly soft and timid. It was almost like seeing a Rottweiler meow, or even a Chihuahua by the way he was shaking.

“He came in hella late and interrupted my workshop. Everyone was already paired up, so guess which amazing actor is going to be accompanying him. Yup, that’s right. Me.”

“Wow, you sure got a lot of confidence for someone who’s gonna perform with a total newbie.” Kageyama provoked.

“Don’t. Be. Rude!” Tanaka snuck behind Kageyama and accentuated each word with a smack to Kageyama’s head. “That _total newbie_ is your senior. Have some tact, why don’t you.” He grumbled.

Kageyama let out a painful yelp, “When the hell did you get there?!”

“We’ve been here for a while.” Tsukishima revealed himself from behind Tanaka.

“Thank god it’s not just me.” Hinata sighed.

“Well anyways, unlike some experienced actors I know of, Asahi was actually willing to work with me.” He chided Hinata and Kageyama. “You should all be intimidated. This guy is the real deal.”

“I’m not _that_ good.” Asahi blushed.

“Yes you are!” Nishinoya delivered a harsh smack to Asahi’s back. The blow left Asahi gasping for air and in near tears. “Stop being such a ninny. You’re awesome. Now own it!”

“Yes, sir.” Asahi trembled in his seat, laughing off the ache in his back.

 

The auditorium was packed once again. Livelier conversations, and louder screams engulfed the place. Yachi and Yamaguchi were on stage setting up chairs. Daichi and Sugawara made their way to the front of the house and began.

“Okay everyone! Settle down!” Daichi roared. The crowd softened into silence and all eyes were on the stage. “We’re going to start this show now! We already have some brave volunteers to go first! So when they’re done, I hope you follow their lead and jump up immediately.”

“If not, we’re gonna start calling names. So you better be ready.” Sugawara sneered to the whole audience. “Introduce yourselves, and start whenever you’re ready.”

Yachi and Yamaguchi introduced themselves and made their way to center stage. The whole scene was revolved around them camping outdoors and smacking mosquitos off each other’s faces. The slaps were awkward and lagged in certain spots. At times they would go for a slap at the same time, but then they’d both stop and wait for the other to continue. The scene was still very hilarious and well performed, given that neither of them had ever done improv before, let alone work together. The whole club gave supportive and loud cheers. Everyone always had each other’s back in drama club. Always having nice, positive things to say about everybody’s performance. No one ever gave a bad or critical critique.

Up next was Nishinoya and Asahi. Their introduction was a bit shaky, but that was mostly on account of Asahi. Their performance started slow. You could barely hear Asahi’s lines, but their stage combat was phenomenal. Nishinoya was flying everywhere with his quick movements and Asahi even had some acrobatic tricks up his sleeve. Somersaults, backbends, pratfalls, even a few splits were thrown in all over the scene. It was so over the top, but it’s to be expected from a scene purely directed by Yuu Nishinoya himself. It wasn’t until the very end of the scene that Nishinoya threw himself into Asahi’s and was thrown onto the other side of the stage. The entire club gasped harshly and screamed when Nishinoya landed into beautifully executed rolling somersault. The crowd went absolutely nuts. Everyone gave them a standing ovation. Nishinoya flourished his arms to Asahi, like a proud soccer mom showing off her baby star. People were screaming for encores, some were just plain screaming. Asahi was completely red from head to toe. He gave a few bows and received high-fives and compliments from almost everyone when he made his way back to his seat.

Nobody wanted to go after that amazing performance, but of course Nishinoya encouraged his bro, Tanaka, to step up. Tanaka boasted to Nishinoya and the tight-knit group about how grand he and Tsukishima were going to be. The two of them only ever did tech, so their performance was definitely going to be a treat regardless. They both gave a casual introduction and went straight into the scene. They stood center stage a few feet apart from each other, standing in complete silence for a good half minute. Finally, Tanaka shuffled to Tsukishima and tapped him on the shoulder. Tsukishima gave a very convincing stage slap to Tanaka’s face, sending him flying onto his back. It was the shortest, most minimal performance yet and everyone ate it up and spat it out with laughter. Tsukishima gave a series of deep, dramatic bows, while Tanaka gave a playful over the top curtsies. It was almost unbelievable how loud it was in comparison to the previous performance, but it was still amazing nonetheless.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with more comical performances. Quite a few scenes were actually dramatic and had well thought out plots and character. Hinata was feeling the pressure. Each group before them performed so well, that Hinata couldn’t help but feel insecure. Even the club newbies did a better job than he ever could. He and Kageyama were the only ones left to perform. He got up from his seat and marched to the stage. Hinata wasn’t one to have stage fright, but never in his life has he had a pounding in his entire being like this. Relentless throbbing in the back of his head slowly made its way down to the pit of his stomach. Faking confidence in his introduction, he let all the nerves go for a split second only for it to return after Kageyama finished his. Once the introduction was out of the way Kageyama took hold of Hinata’s hand and took him off the stage and into the wings.

“Listen,” Kageyama whispered hoarsely into Hinata’s ear, “Snap out of it! If I can tell you’re tense, then you bet your ass so can the audience. It’s just a little imrov scene, dammit! It’s not an audition. I’m not gonna judge you, and neither will anyone else. Just breathe and say whatever the hell you want.” Before Hinata could come up with a response, Kageyama already dragged him back on the stage.

Acting was stiff on Hinata’s part. He mostly narrated and spoke out every action. He’d announce where they were, and who they were instead of establishing it through acting. It was safe for Hinata to admit to himself that he fucked up the entire scene. The scene hardly progressed in any kind of rising action or climax. Kageyama was the one mostly leading the scene. Every one of their given circumstances were established, which meant there was only one thing left to make the scene complete. The kiss. Kageyama and Hinata established that they were lost in the store. Hinata was at a loss for words. He knew what had to come next, but he couldn’t find it within himself to progress the scene any further.

“I need to tell you something.” Kageyama said. Standing tall and confident, he grabbed onto Hinata’s shoulders and worked his hand up to his cheek.

“Y-y-yeah?” Hinata fumbled.

“I like you.” His thumb traced down Hinata’s jawline.

Profanities and obscenities ran through over and over in Hinata’s head. He shut his eyes tight. His fists clenched firmly down his sides. Anticipation overflowed his entire being. The audience were on the edge of their seats. ‘Is he gonna do it’s’, and ‘c’mons’ were quietly exchanged in the house. Cold sweat trickled down Hinata’s forehead. He could feel his head being pulled in by Kageyama’s soft hands.

‘Just get on with it, dammit!’

Hinata could not take the suspense any longer. He reached on to the collar of Kageyama’s shirt and pulled him in. Hinata pressed his lips gingerly into Kageyama’s. He opened his eyes and was met with Kageyama’s wide navy blue eyes. However, they didn’t seem to beam with bright tones like they normally do. Light was obstructed from them. They were being shaded by a paper fan that was in Kageyama’s hand. They both stared directly at one another with reddening faces. Hinata released his grip from Kageyama’s shirt and pushed himself away. 

Thud! Hinata hit the floor right onto his knees. He stared at the audience blank faced.

“Scene.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna post this the other day, but i wound up with a stomach virus or something, so i spent most of the day in bed.  
> (it wasn't fun lmao)   
> =====anyway=====  
> YEAH UPDATE!  
> this was a pretty long chapter, hope you enjoyed that.  
> but yeah, my goodness is everything just getting more embarrassing for hinata.  
> hang in there champ.  
> as always, let me know how you're liking things so far in the comments  
> i'd greatly appreciate it ;^]


	5. Beat.

**_beat_ **

  1. _( theater, film) The smallest division of action in a play, film or other work of drama; The moment at which increasing dramatic tension produces a noticeable change in the consciousness of one or more characters._



* * *

 

_“We still have one more filming day you know, I told you that last rehearsal remember?”_

_“Cut him some slack, I mean he was a little **busy** when you told him, remember?”_

_“Have fun, lovebirds!”_

_“I. Want. To. Do. The. Kissing. One.”_

_“I need to tell you something.”_

_“I like you.”_

It was a quiet, peaceful weekend afternoon. A single beam of light peaked through the curtains of Hinata’s room. He laid nude in bed, flat on his back covered from the nose down in his thick, velvet blanket. Hinata only ever slept in the buff whenever it was exceptionally hot, or when he was exceptionally stressed. Unfortunately for him, it was on both cases that he found himself naked. He woke from a dreamless sleep, and was immediately overwhelmed with his thoughts. All the events, sensations, and feelings from drama club consumed Hinata’s being. Cracking every joint in his body, he reached for his phone. The strong LED lighting caused his eyes to flinch. He groaned and quickly adjusted the brightness level to its lowest setting. ‘2:47PM, Saturday, 1 New Message’.

_Yamaguchi: I’m on my way. Be there in a bit._

The timestamp of the message read ‘2:03PM’.

“OH. MY. GOD.” Hinata hollered. He completely forgot that Yamaguchi was going to come by to help with his makeup before the shoot today. He stumbled and tripped out of bed and made his way to his dresser. The drawers were completely void of clothing. All he could find were two pairs of underwear. After he donned a pair, he made his way to his last resort. The dirty hamper. Only in desperate emergencies would he ever consider recycling his laundry, but it was an emergency, and he was more than desperate. When he went to check for it under his bed, he found that it was gone. Actually, everything that was under there the night before seemed to have vanished.

‘What. The. Hell?’ Hinata dropped to his knees and sprawled forward onto the chilly wooden floor. His gym bag, gone. Running shoes, gone. Scripts, gone. All of it, nowhere to be found. There was only one way to find out for sure where his things had gone. There could only be one explanation.

“MOM!” Hinata cried.

No response.

It was too early in the morning for Hinata to be troubled with all this piling stress, despite it already being early afternoon. He had no other choice but to force himself up and out into the hall. He draped himself in his velvet blanket and headed out the door. The house was quiet…too quiet. His mother wasn’t in her bedroom, though it seemed like she tidied up in there as well. It was neat in clean in Natsu’s room as well, her backpack wasn’t hanging on her door and there wasn’t a trace of her shoes at the doorway either  
‘Must be on a play date.’

But there was another pair of shoes at the doorway. They were really big shoes, almost twice the size of his moms. Crap. He rushed on over to the kitchen that he was greeted by his mother and Yamaguchi, having a chat on the dining table over coffee.

“Oh! Morning, sweetie!” his mom cheered, “You know you really shouldn’t keep company waiting. Especially when there as nice as Tadashi here.” Yamaguchi gave a timid wave and a good afternoon.

“Mother…where are my clothes? Where are my things??” He imposed.

“Oh, honey, they’re in the wash. I told you a while ago, but I guess you were half asleep again.”

“ _All_ of my clothes are in the wash?”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous! The darks are in the wash. The lights are outside to drying.” She corrected with a warm chuckle, “They’ll be dry in a few hours.”

“A few hours? Why would you-”, his complaint was interrupted by a stern look from his mother. “Fine,” he sighed, “Understood. C’mon Yamaguchi, sorry for making you wait. My phone was on silent, and I was kinda distracted I guess.”

 

Hinata sat himself at his desk, and offered Yamaguchi a seat on the bed. Random office supplies were moved to the side, before Hinata brought down a miniature vanity mirror from the mounted shelf above. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and removed a thick, stack of papers, followed by navy blue shoe box. He placed the desk in front of the vanity and put the papers back in the desk. Inside the box laid a variety of cosmetics and palettes.

“Whoa, that’s a _lot_ of makeup,” Yamaguchi beamed, “Why do you keep it hidden in your desk?”

“Are you kidding me? This is some quality makeup, and it’s not safe in this house, not when everyone in this house is a thief,” he snarled, “Last time I bought myself a new quality eye liner, my mom stole it away from me before I could even use it! And then one time I left my blush and lip stuff unattended and  Natsu just absolutely ruined it. Gotta keep these things secure and hidden.”

“Right. Okay, well…let’s just get to it.”

“Oh, wait a second,” Hinata bounced off his seat and removed the velvet blanket, exposing his petite, figure and exchanged it for a thin cotton bedsheet laying on the floor. He wrapped the sheet fittingly around his neck and tied the two ends into a firm knot. The fabric draped to the floor and left an open crease that exposed his backside. By a turn of the heel he plopped back down on his seat, causing his make-shift cloak to flutter about briefly in air. “Okay, now I’m ready.”

Yamaguchi shook in a quiet chuckle, “What was that about?”

“Listen. We are working with makeup here. And that blanket right there is like my favorite thing in the world. And now way, no how, am I gonna let it be stained and sullied with face paint.” Hinata defended.

“Okay, Mr. Face Paint, let’s get started,” Yamaguchi took the shoe box and placed it on his lap. Shuffling through the box he picked out a variety of bottles, tubes, and palettes and laid them out on the desk.  Hinata reached over to a bottle of face primer and squeezed out a dime sized dollop and smoothed it out all around his face. Yamaguchi then marked lines of concealer around random spots on Hinata’s cheeks. “Here,” he handed over a blending sponge, “Blend it out and make sure to get it underneath your eyes too.”

“I bet Kageyama doesn’t have to put on this much makeup.” Hinata whined.

“Well…Kageyama doesn’t need to have _girl makeup_ on,” Yamaguchi noted, “Besides, it’s only on film makeup. It’s not like we’re gonna cake on anything, chin up.”

“I guess.” Hinata huffed.

“No. Literally. Chin, up. I gotta powder your face.”

“Oh.” Hinata closed his eyes and just let Yamaguchi do his magic. During plays and showcases, he never let anyone else do his makeup except for the incomparable Tadashi Yamaguchi. No one else in class had such a light and gentle hand when it came to makeup. One time Hinata foolishly allowed Tsukishima to do his makeup for a dress rehearsal, needless to say he never let him go anywhere near his face again. “You know, you should really start teaching everyone else how to do there makeup. Especially Tsukki. We can’t all always be fighting over you.”

Yamaguchi just chuckled in response, “Nah, it’ll be fine, I actually asked Yachi if she’d like to do some backstage work sometime. She’s pretty good with a brush and powder, y’know.”

“Ooooooo. Someone’s been getting to know someone better.” Hinata singsonged.

“Shut up. We’re just friends.” Yamaguchi blushed.

“Don’t think I didn’t see you during club, being all flustered and nervous.” Hinata teased on further, but desisted after seeing Yamaguchi menacingly sharpen a pencil eyeliner.

“Yeah that’s what I thought. Now look up, and try not to cry or flinch this time.” He tilted Hinata’s chin upward. Hinata hated this step out of everything when getting his face painted. Getting his waterline marked. He couldn’t even imagine how anyone could even be remotely comfortable with such a sharp pointy object so close to their eye. Every time that he had to have it done, he’d immediately tear up and back away before the pencil even got anywhere near his face. Then it began: Yamaguchi pulled down on Hinata’s eyelid, and gave the magic forewarning words, “Look up”. Luckily, Hinata made it through the process without any screaming or crying.

“Okay, but seriously, how’d working with Yachi go?”

“It was pretty rough at first,” Yamaguchi unclipped a case of pink blush and rubbed a finger in it, “But Nishinoya was really patient with us, and really understanding. He’s really good with leading improv.” He grabbed onto Hinata’s arm and swatched a line on his wrist. “A little too dark.” He dug back into the shoe box and pulled out a large blush palette.

“Wait. What did you say?”

“The blush. It’s too dark.” He said, closely examining and comparing the palette with the single blush case.

“No, the part with Noya.”

“He’s patient, understanding, and good with leading improv?” Yamaguchi reiterated, while applying a lighter pink blush on Hinata’s cheeks.

 “That’s interesting,” he hummed, “Kageyama was telling me that he was fast paced and demanding...”

“Really? Even during class, right before club, Nishinoya was being really professional. Wonder why Kageyama would say that.” Yamaguchi paused, and looked firmly at Hinata’s face, and scattered once more through the shoe box. “I’m thinking lips.”

“WHAT?” Hinata squawked.

“Calm down, it’s just lip gloss.” In his hand was a tube of a brown-pink lip shine, “What’d you think I was talking about?”

“Right…makeup…that’s…I knew that.” He tittered, his shoulders perked, eyebrows furled.

“Open.” Yamaguchi commanded and Hinata followed, opening his mouth. Yamaguchi traced his lips with the tube, gently applying the gloss. “It could also be that he just really likes you.”

Hinata stood up from his chair, standing quietly, dumbfounded. “What? There is no way that Kage-” The door opened and lo and behold there stood Kageyama at the doorway. “yama…what a surprise.”

With a click of the tongue he sneered, “Surprise? Call is at 3:30, I’m supposed to be here, dumbass”, and took a seat on the bed.

Yamaguchi plopped down beside Kageyama and gave him a pat on the shoulder, “Look, Kageyama, I did Hinata’s makeup. Doesn’t he look pretty?”

“I mean…I guess?”

Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow at Hinata and snuck in a wink. Hinata responded with a pout, and just sat back at his desk to touch up his face. Yamaguchi never had a reason to joke around, especially with Hinata. Was he just teasing, surely there wasn’t any meaning behind what he said. Surely, there was no way Kageyama could like someone like him. Yamaguchi then excused himself from the room saying, “I forgot something in the kitchen”, leaving the two alone together. Hinata found himself conscious of Kageyama again. The idea of Kageyama liking him swam endlessly in his head. There was no way…but…he was interested. He found himself looking at Kageyama through his mini-vanity, and every now and again caught Kageyama sneaking glances back. Kageyama would tug on his ear, tussle his bangs, and then finally take a peek at Hinata, but would immediately retreat among meeting eyes. After the third double take Hinata death stared through the mirror until Kageyama finally took another peak.

Ear tug.

Hair tussle.

And now…

“Aha! Caught you peeping!” Hinata shouted, turning himself and pointing in Kageyama’s direction.

“Me? You’re the one that was peeping!”

“Uhuh, sure.”

“Ugh, shut up! Just put on some clothes dammit.” Kageyama growled, planting his face into the bed.

“Ohhh, so you were ogling me? How obscene.” Hinata seated himself on Kageyama’s back.

“Get off me!” He shoved Hinata off the bed. The bedsheet around Hinata’s neck came loose, leaving the small boy exposed. “Agh!!!! Why are you naked?!”

“Calm down. I even told you last time, all us guys share a dressing room, so it’s not like you’ve never seen me indecent. And _again,_ this is _my_ house! Besides, my mom has all my clothes out to dry, so for now you’re just gonna have to deal with it.”  

“Okay, let’s get this started,” in through the door came Sugawara, followed by Tanaka, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi, “It’s starting to get cloudy out, so let’s make this quick.” By the clap of his hands, Tanaka and Tsukishima immediately set up their cameras. Yamaguchi threw over a plastic bag to Hinata, inside was his costume and wig. Hinata immediately got dressed and looked into the mirror to adjust and brush his wig.

“Aww, Hinata, aren’t you looking so pretty.” Tanaka snuck up behind Hinata, grasping at his shoulders, “Don’t you think so too, Kageyama?” He nudged at Kageyama.

“Why are you only asking me?” Kageyama pouted.

“All right, all right! Quiet on set!” Sugawara clapped his hands, directing everyone to their spots.  Yamaguchi stumbled over behind Sugawara, clipboard and stopwatch in hand. Tanaka gave Tsukishima a slap on the back before running to his corner of the room. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

“Hey”, Hinata pulled down on Kageyama’s shoulders making him bend at the knees to his level and whispered, “After we’re done with the shoot, we need to talk.”

Kageyama tussled the fringe of his hair, Hinata plopped back onto the bed in a single bound.

“Okay, everyone set? Camera ready? ACTION.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAA FINALLY AN UPDATE  
> everything is just coming up roses  
> WE'RE GETTING SOOOOOO CLOSE TO THE END  
> next chapter will be the last of this work!!!  
> BUT DON'T FRET there will be more for this series  
> much much much more  
> focusing on different characters and their own little romantic plots  
> it all ties in together tho, so i hope that you all stick around for all of that!!
> 
> if you liked what you read, GIVE SOME KUDOS :^]  
> and as always, comments are completely and highly accepted  
> you ready for the finale??? you ready for more ships??? ARE YOU???   
> because i sure am!


End file.
